Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
religion_n	world_n	worldly_a	worship_v	47	3	7.4948	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34668	A censure of that reverend and learned man of God, Mr. John Cotton, lately of New-England, upon the way of Mr. Henden of Bennenden in Kent, expressed in some animadversions of his upon a letter of Mr. Henden's sometimes sent to Mr. Elmeston (2) a brief and solid exercitation concerning the coercive power of the magistrate in matters of religion, by a reverend and learned minister, Mr. Geo[r]ge Petter ... (3) Mr. Henden's animadversions on Mr. Elmestons's epistle revised and chastized.	Elmeston, John.; Cotton, John, 1584-1652. Censure ... upon the way of Mr. Henden.; Petter, George. Brief and solid exercitation concerning the coercive power of the magistrate in matters of religion.	1656 (1656)	Wing C6415; ESTC R20949	43,719	60

of Religion though we have and might have more liberty than heretofore under the Prelates and were to be thankfull to God and Man for our liberty to serve God in his own way Yet no good Christian but must needs take it to heart to the great abatement of his comfort to see as much liberty granted to Errour Heresie Idolatry c. as to Christ's owne saving Truth and that such abominations to Christs open dishonour and the damnation of soules should have free course and passage I know not well what you mean by a Worldly power whose Prop our Church should need The civill power of the Magistrate especially in a Christian is unfitly so nick-named For it is an Ordinance of God and no● meerely of the World and ought to be imployed for God It may degenerate into a meere worldly power in the hands of pagan and prophane persons when it is exercised onely about worldly matters with a neglect of Religion yea perhaps against Christ and true Religion But if by it you mean the civill Power I doubt not but that our Church as a true Church of Christ can stand without that prop. But this withall I give you to know that even Christs true Church and Religion though it can stand without such worldly support doth yet the more flourish spread and lift up its head● when the civill Magistrate doth undertake the protection and doth countenance it not onely against Persecution but also against contrary Schisms Heresi●s and Idolatry It was some benefit which the Lord did mean the Church should enjoy by the civill Power when he did promise that Kings should be nursing Fathers and Queen●nursing Mothers thereunto Where let it be noted that the promise is made unto the Church and not to all wayes in Religion though Hereticall and Idolatrous as if they should have equell protection and countenance from Kings Queenes and supreme Magistrates with the Church And what benefit the Church hath by the protection and support of the Magistrate as our England may sufficiently witnesse where Religion did more flourish in the free and open worship of God and the number of professions of Religion under the reigne of Edward the sixt blessed Queen Elizabeth c. the one whereof was even in his younger dayes a nursing Father the other all her dayes a nursing Mother to the Church then in the dayes of Queen Mary a cruell S●e p●dame and persecutor thereof So if we take a survey of States abroad certainly we shall perceive that the Church and Religion doth prosper better in Geneva and its territory and among the Helevetian Protestants where one way of true Religion is mainteined than in Polonia such States wherein this mingle-mangle is tolerated Next you would have me remember that the Primitive was built not by Power but by the Spirit That by the Spirit Christ went forth conquering That the Stone dashing all opposers was cut out of the mountaine without hands That Gods people are a willing people and never act nobly but out of a principle of love All this I doe desi●e to remember But what is all this to prove an Universall toleration of all wayes and consciences in Religion which was the thing I insisted on as the main root of much mischief amongst us What cannot the Church be built nor Christ conquer by the Spirit nor Daniels Stone be cut out of the Mountaine without hands nor Gods people be a willing people nor act out of love unlesse such an universall toleration be allowed and it be left as free for men to be Atheists Mahumetans Arrians Pap●sts Hereticks and Sectaries of any kinde as well as to be true sound and orthodox Christians This is a mystery you had need to open to us how such a toleration doth conduce any whit to make the Gospel the more powerfull in converting or Gods people the more free and willing in believing and pro●essing But it seemes you muster up these forces against all coercive power of the Magistrate in matters of Religion But first There was no need to fall upon this controve●sie if your intent were onely to plead for some due liberty for tender consciences that dissent in lesser matters and that in a modest meek and peaceable way which I did not gainsay who onely bent my speech against this miscreant and universall toleration 2. If you intend to argue against all such coercive power here is committed by you ignorated Elenchi you argue not against the question as it ought to be stated which perhaps you conceale that your arguing may be the more plausible among your D●sciples and other simple and well-meaning Readers but such as doe not well understand the state of this controversie For you know which you should have let your Reader know which one thing understood would have cut the sinews of most of your Reasons hudled together about this in your Preface that we do not say that the M●gistrate hath power to comp●ll any man to believe the Gospell or to comp●ll such as are strangers from the Faith to take up the profession of it But we affirm 1. That the Magistrate may and ought to prohibite his Subjects now in the dayes of the Gospel the open exercise of Impious and Idolatrous worship the open profession of ungodly Errors and Heresies yes also of rash and uncharitable rent● from the true Church in his Dominion and the open neglect and prophaning of the Lords day 2. It is in his power and it becometh him to command them yea even such as be strangers from the Faith to attend that worship of God which is naturally morall as to hear the Word read and preached that they may be convinced of their false Religion instructed in the true Faith and converted to it by the Lords blessing coming in upon their hearing and others outwardly professing the Faith might be confirmed in it and converted in the Inner man to a reall and powerfull profession of it and also to joyn in prayer and praising God It doth not impeach this assertion that David did not cause the Edomites Moabites and other Idolatrou● Nations conquered by him to renounce their Idolatrous Worship but did suffer them in it nor did send any to teach them God● Law or constraine them to attend it The Lord in those dayes had confined his worship and covenant of Salvation onely to the people of the Jewes and would not have it made common generally to other Nations except to some few Proselytes that came in but had shut them out from this Covenant wherefore David was not obliged to any such c●re of them nor had any warrant to send any to teach them Gods Lawes and Wayes but now under the Gospel there it no such r●●●raint but as God would have all men to repent and his Grace is free for all Nations So supreme Magistrates had they any Heathen under their power they were so as above to exercise their power to put

Why should there be any preaching any writing any praying or disputing against Heresies Christ is potent without such means to prevaile in light Nay may we not also say Why should any Lawes be made against Murder Whoredome Theft Slandering c. for God is as potent to maintaine Righteousnesse Peace Chastity and Truth c. in such a liberty as Satan is to work Unrighteousnesse Uncleannesse Envy Lying c. But if it cannot be expected that Christ should put forth his power to maintaine such Vertues where there is such a neglect of meanes as that no good Lawes are made against the foulest Vices so surely it may be feared that Satan will there more prevail with his delusions in Religion than Christ shew himself powerfull in maintaining truth where no good lawes are in force to represse Heresies or to uphold Divine truth Obj. Truth may thus be shut out and Compulsion hath proved a direct enemy to the Gospel Answ. It is true and so hath Preaching Writing and Church censures helped to shut out Tru●h and been made direct enemies to the Gospel But that hath been not in the right use of them by preaching and writing for truth and just censuring scandalous and erroneous persons but by the abuse of them in turning them against the truth and professours of it And if this co●rciv● power which in harsh language you delight to call Compulsion exercised in matters of Religion have obstructed Truth and been an adversary to the Gospel that mischief hath not sprung from the nature of the power which is good and lawfull but from the abuse of it by seduced and ill affected Magistrates who have misimployed it And it is a grosse Paralogisme from the abuse of any thing to blemish or extinguish the right use of it And if you would clear your eyes and look abroad you may see that it hath oft helped to maintain Truth and prop●gate the Gospel witnesse the godly Kings of Judah who did thereby put down Idolatry in their land and bring their people back to the true worship of God Witnesse the first Christian Emperours who by it banished Pagan Idolatry and promoted Christian Religion Witnesse Protestant Princes of late in England and other Countreys who by it suppressed Popish Idolatry and set up the preaching of the Gospel and countenanced the profession of it Last Compulsion of the Civil Power hath oft been an instrument of Tyranny and exercised to hinder justice and righteousnesse as Solomon sheweth And yet indeed it is not so easily and oft used against Justice and other ●uties of the second Table as it is against the Gospel For that there be more principles of civil righteousnesse and care of preserving peace and mans outward welfare left in mans nature to direct thereto and check unrighteousnesse than of Divine truth in Religion of which there are left but some generall notions that there is a God and that he is to be worshipped but nothing by any such principles doe they know of the particular manner of his worship much lesse any thing of the Gospel And if notwithstanding this abuse of civil power or compulsion against righteousnesse and tra● quility commanded in the second Table it have its right use and that to b● a low●d about civil matters of that table there may be a right and lawfull use of it in matters of Religion though by the abuse thereof it shut out Truth and be oft an enemy to the Gospell Obj. To what way doe you so eagerly labour to engage the Sword of the Magistrate to your own or to some other Answ. This is nothing but the sp●tting of your rancour For where doe I mention the Sword of the Magistrate in my Epistle What are the words that I use to engage the Sword of the Migistrate against any Religion All that I doe is but briefly to decipher and complaine of that mischief that hath come of an universall toleration of all Religions that not as avowed and allowed by the State but by you and others cryed up and usurped 2. We take not upon u● to prescr●be to the Magistrate any way in Religion which he should establ●sh but advise him specially to have recourse to the Word of God which is a sure and cleare rule out of which he may learn● by diligent search and prayer taking also the advice of godly and learned Ministers what is the good and right way which he himselfe should embrace and also commend yea and command unto his Subjects 3. A● under the Bishops there was a power practised which was tyrannicall whereof you also a● well as other did complain so now also in this multiplicity of religious wayes set on foot some courses must needs be erroneous and schismaticall in which company you and your party march with the foremost Obj. Neither you nor any other sit in the Chaire of Infallibility and so have no power over the conscience which none can have but an unerring Law Answ. 1. Whence are these loud words concerning our Infallibility Our speech is not of our power but of the power of the Magistrate 2. If the Magistrate may not make lawes in matters of Religion because he is not infallible in his determinations upon that account you may as we●l abolish his power about Lawes in civil matters For in those he may mistake though not so oft and foulely as in matters of Religion and enact things not onely heavy and burth●nsome unto his people but also unjust and unrighteou● 3. There is an infallible and unerring rule viz the Word of God by which the Magistrate i● to be direct●d in making Lawes And so farre as he keepe● close to that his determinations are infallible and to be observed 4. The matters that he commands in Religion ought to be the manifest precepts of God or evidently consonant to his Word and then though as being the command of the Magistrate they doe not absolutely binde the conscience yet as God● L●wes they have power so to doe It is then a vaine surmise to imagine that the Magistrate in making such Lawes doth encroach upon mens consciences as binding men by his meere authority unto the observance of them and that under p●ine of damnation when as he doth onely command externall duties of Religion to which men by Gods Law are bound in conscience A● for example the sanctifying of the Lords day publique attendance upon the Word and other natural worsh●p of God and forbidding what is manifestly forbidden by the Word the open professing and publishing of Error and Heresies and making unwarrantable Schism● in the Church and that onely under some temporal penalties and rewards Obj. Suppose you and others were infallible yet neither you nor any can create beliefe in the hearts of any that are contrary-mind●d Answ. This Argument proceeds upon a false supposition ●● if it were affi●med that Magistrates should compell men to believe and repent and in case they do not were to punish

in their owne nature To suffer which would reflect upon the Magistrate to make him guilty of the sin who hath power to restrain it and doth not 1 Sam. 3. 12. Secondly The sin that arises upon the doing necessary and main duties or not doing according to the Magistrates command comes ex accidenti by accident not by the nature of the thing commanded which is not onely good in it selfe but also a necessary duty nor by vertue of the command which commands nothing but a thing manifestly good and a necessary duty but by the ill disposition and erroneous perswasion of the person doing or not doing And if the inforcing of necessary duties must be forborn upon this account that some sin by accident wil● ensue thereupon how can Ministers lawfully call upon men to pray or heare Gods Word since wicked men in such services will rather by their ill doing of them offend than please God Moreover Magistrates in making lawes about such weighty matters are not bound to look to particular mens consciences and opinions but to have an eye to Gods Word commanding or forbidding this or that Mens opinions and consciences are secret and not alwayes openly known Gods Word is open and manifest Mens Consciences are divers quot homines tot sententiae so many men so many mindes Gods Word is uniforme and the same Mens Consciences would be a weak and uncertaine rule for him to goe by Gods Word is sure and certaine And if Mens Consciences accord not with Lawes in such main and manifest matters made according to the Word it is their sin and errour and in such case the Magistrate ought indeed to take order that they may be instructed and brought to the knowledge of the truth and so willingly submit unto it But if notwithstanding they will persist in Idolatrous Hereticall and openly Schismaticall wayes such wholsome Lawes must not give place to stubbornly erroneous consciences but they must submit thereunto or do justly suffer the appointed penalties Further It is plaine that in sundry cases men may be compell●d to that in doing which they sin through their own default It is the duty of Subjects to serve the State in their wars willlingly and out of ●●ve to the publ●que good of Servants to serve their Masters willingly and out of love to them of Debtors to pay their Debts willingly and out of love to justice Which things if they doe not or will not doe they are justly compelled ther● unto though in doing it there is sin committed by them in doing that upon force and grudgingly which should be done by them out of love and with a ready minde I may yet adde that this dart such as it is may be as well cast against Church censures as against this coactive exercise of civil Power For it may easily fall out that men in the Church for feare of the censure of the Church and especially in case of deposition from their Pastorall Office and so the losse of the maintenance they have thereby may dissemble their Errours and subscribe to Truth even against their conscience A notable example of it is in some Arrian Bishops Eusebius of Nicomedia Theognis of Nice who for fear of losing their Bishopricks upon the decree of the Nicene Council against Arrius and his Complices in dessembling manner against their conscience subscribed to the decree of that Council against that damnable Heresie If then no courses may be used upon which men may be driven to act against their consciences and so sin neither can Church-censures nor deposition of H●reticall teachers be put in practise upon which such an inconvenience may ensue The conclusion then is that it is not lawfull to compell any man to doe that which is directly and in it selfe sinfull but that a man may be compelled by lawfull authority without any fault of theirs to the doing of manifest and necessary duties though in the doing thereof he sin and that only by his own default and evil disposition Let me yet tell you that a man doth sin much less in doing a necessary good work upon command against his misinformed conscience than in a willing and witting omitting of it And that whensoever the conscience is awakened it will more sting for this last than the former ab●ut which we have seldome knowne any to have beene troubled in minde upon doing it And that the Magistrate must needs sin in suffering such a witting and willing negl●ct of a manifest necessary duty but can never be proved to have sinned in commanding and urging men to duti●s manifestly good and necessary Obj. We read of none in the New Testament who commanded all to worship save the Beast Rev. 13. Answ. 1. We read of none in the New Testament that were punish●d for Whoredome Incest Perjury False witnesse bearing Drunkennesse c. What then may not these with your consent be punished by the civil Magistrate all the sons of Belial would much applaud you for such a toleration of wickednesse which this your pleading doth as much countenance as an Universal toleration for Religion 2. It had been fair play to have written out the whole text that the command was to worship the Image of the Beast and receive his mark in their right hand or in their forehead Rev. 13. 15 16. Such compulsion doubtlesse is detestable But what is this against compulsion to renounce the Idolatry of the Beast and all other Idolatry and to worship God in his true worship To which things we read that the godly Kings of Judah Asa Jchosaphat and Josiah compelled their Subjects to their praise and commendation The fault is not noted to be simply in the course of compulsion but in the object of False worship and open profession of Popery to which he compelled And thus have I cleared our Barque from those dangerous shelves upon which you made account to wreck us and have brought it safe to land Now it followes Obj. It is conceived that you Presbyterians you mean are in this a part of the greatest and most deceivable Schisme that ever came into the world Answ. A foule and lewd reproach but fit enough for your wide mouth Thus indeed the Papists did judge of us and so doe still who condemn the reformed Churches of a wicked Schisme in departing from them and them most which went farthest off from them in that as well in D●scipline as in Doctrine with whom you and yours symbolize in this accusation of us But as one saith Non eadem est sententia tribunalis Christi anguli susurronum The Sentence of Christs righteous judgement and of whisperers in their corners is not all one Next after some pretty many lines followes a volley of sl●nderous reproaches in matching Classicall government with Episcopacy Whereas that was a Lordly government of one over a whole D●ocess this is onely a brotherly combination of many Ministers and ru●ing Elders to manage Church affaires by common consent and that

authority of the Magistrate such ignorant or weak persons are not rashly or of their owne heads to withdraw their obedience by refusing to conforme to the dutyes enjoyned but they are first in all modest and humble manner and that speedily to propound their doubts and reasons of their refusall and to desire satisfaction therein from such as are in authority 2. If on the other side the foresaid perswasion doe proceed from an obstinate conscience as those that have had the meanes of teaching and have been sufficiently convinced of the lawfulnesse of the things enjoyned by authority of the Magistrate and yet doe obstinately persist in refusing to doe them then the Magistrate compelling them to outward conformity in doing the dutyes enjoyned doth not compell them to sin but useth the meanes to reforme sin in them by punishing them for their obstinacy thereby to reclaime them from it and from their contempt and neglect of Gods ordinances Now this the Magistrate may and ought to doe For Rom. 13. it is said He beareth not the sword in vaine and is therewith to punish evil doers but surely they are evil doers who do wilfully even against the light of their Conscience● refuse to be conformable in such dutyes of Rel●gion and Gods worship as are enjoyned by the Magistrate These are {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} selfe-condemned persons Titus 3. 11. The Magistrate in this case doth not cause such to sin Nisi per accidens vide Pet. Mart. loc. com clas. 2. c. 2. Obj. Faith and Religion are not to be forced but to be freely and voluntarily taken up and embraced according to that of Tertullian ad Scap. cap. 2. Nec religionis est cogere religionem quae sponte suscipi debet non vi It is not according to Religion to compell men to Religion which ought freely to be taken up and not per force And that of Lactant. Institut lib. 5. cap. 20. Religio cogi non potest verbis potius quam verberibus res agenda est Religion cannot be forced the matter is to be effected by words rather than by stripes To such purpose Amb. lib. 5. Ep. 30. Answ. To compell men to conformity in outward ex●rcises of Rel●gion and of Gods worship is not to force them to believe or embrace Religion but onely to compell them to the externall use of Gods Ordinances which are the meanes to work Faith and Religion in them and to move them in time if it be possible voluntarily to believe and embrace true Religion 2. As for those places of Tertullian Ambrose and Lactantius That Compulsion that they speak of is of Christians toward Heathen or of Heathen toward Christians as may plainly appeare by perusing the places and not of the Christian Magistrates compelling of Christians under his Dominion to the outward exercise of Religion and Gods worship established It is one thing for the Heathen Emperours or their Deputies to compell Christians to embrace Paganism or for Christian Magistrates to compell the ●eathen who have been brought up in Paganism and never had yet the meanes to instruct them in Christian Religion to believe and embrace Christianity before they have had sufficient instruction therein And another thing for Christian Magistrates to urge and compell such subjects ●t have been brought up and instruc●ed in the Christian Religion to outward conformity in the publick worship of God established by lawfull Authority Obj. This is the way to make men Hypocrites when they are compelled to the outward worship of God wanting in the meane time inward Piety Answ. The scope of the Christian Magistrate in using such compulsion is not to make men Hypocrites but by this meanes to move them to doe that afterward willingly which for the present they doe by compu●sion as Austin saith of the Christian● in Hipp● where he was Bishop That they at first taking part with Donatus and his F●ction were after moved by the severe Lawes of Christian Emperours reigning in those times against the Don●tists to forsake Donatus and his followers and to embrace the Catholique Doctrine of the Church and so in other cities also Se●Aug Tom. 2. Epist. 48. where he doth at large ●andle this question touching the M●gistrates power in punishing Hereticks Of which Epistle of Austin Zanchy sayes that it is Insigni● epistola sed prolixa a notable Ep●stle but very long See also the same Austin Tom. 7. Operum contra epistolas Petili●●i Donatista lib. 2. c●p 28. c. 84. and also in his 50 Epistle in which places he treats of this question touching the Magistrates power in punishing Hereticks In the former of those places whereas P●tilian complain● of the Emperours forcing the Donatists to the Catholick Faith by persecution Austin makes this answer to him Non persequimu● vos nisi quemadmodum veritas persequitur falsitatem c. We persecute you no otherwise but as Truth doth persecut● Falsehood And againe whereas Petilian boasted that the Donatists did not compell any to the Faith Austin answers thus Ad fidem quidem nullus est cog●ndus invitus sed perseveritatē imo●er miseric●rdiam Dei tribulationum flagellis solet per●idia castigari Num quid quia mor●s optimi libertate voluntatis ●liguntu● id●o mores pessi●i non legis integritate puniuntur S●d tamen ma●e vivendi ultrix disciplina pr●postera est nisi quum pr●cedens belle vivend● doctrina contemnitur that is No man truly is to be compelled to the Faith against his will but through the severity yea through the mercy of God perfidiousnesse is wont to be chastized with the scourge of tribulation What I pray because good manners are chosen by a free good-will shall not therefore bad manners be punished by sound and wholsome lawes Notwithstanding that Discipline which is the revenger of evill living is preposterous unless when the precedent instruction of well-living is despised To which may be added that of Austin contra epist. Gaudentii Donatistae lib. 2. cap. 17. Quod vobis Donatistis videtur invites ad veritatem non esse cogend●s erratis nes●ientes scriptur●● virtutem D●i qui eos volentes facit dum coguntur inviti Whereas it seems to you Donatists that none are to be compelled to the truth against their will you erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God who maketh men willing while they be enforced against their will Zanchy in 2 praeceptum cap. 15. de imaginibus Thes. 4. handles this question where thus he expresseth the sum of what he holds concerning it Augustini sententiam sequor Piu● magistratum posse pro authoritate sibi a Deo tradit● ver● etiam si viderit se posse suâ authoritate ad ecclesi● adificationem uti ex officio debere subditos suos a malo ad bonum a superstitionibus ad verum cultum cogere tempore tamen commodo ●edo ad ●inem consequendum utili prudenter observato that i● I follow the

sentence of Austin That the godly Magistrate may according to that authority given him of God and truly also if he shall see that he can use his authority to the edification of the Church that he ought out of duty to compell his Subjects from Evill to Good and from Superstitions to Gods true Worship notwithstanding wisely observing a convenient time and such a manner as shall be profitable to obtaine his end This Assertion he farther explaines and proves more at large In one case he holds that the Magistrate is to forbea●e this coaction at least for a time viz. Si apertè viderit res tal● esse loco ut si sua si●●● pli●iter velit uti authoritate ●mnin● casura sint omnia in pejus in totius ecclesi● eversion●m supersedendum fuerit atque in aliud tempu● d●fferendum negotium c. Tu●c certe re●inere debet gladium in vaginâ curandum est ut gladio duntaxat Spiritus quod est verbum Dei ●ollantu● ex animis errores c. Pertinet huc Augustini co●silium de supersedendâ excommunications in Africa adversus ●b●ios●s qui cum omnes fere tales essent excommunica●i ●●● potexant nisi tota ●cclesia dissiparetur Then Zanchy addes Sunt tamen quaedam mala tam gravia ut graviora contingere non possint ut publicae blasphemiae in Filium D●i publicae Idololatriae c. Ad haec certe connivere nullo modo potest aut debit pius magistratus ●tiamsi ruat mundus That is If he plainly see things to be in such a condition as if he should absolutely use his authority that all things certainly would become worse and turn to the overthrow of the whole Church there must be a forbearing and the businesse is to be deferred unto another time Then surely he ought to keep his sword in the sc●bbard and to t●ke care that errors should be removed out of mens minds onely by the sword of the Spiri● which is the Word of God H●therto appertaineth Austin's counsel about the forbearing of excommunication in Africa against Drunkards who when almost all were so could not ●e excommunicated unlesse the whole Church were dissipated Notwithstanding some evils are so hainous that worse cannot happen as publique blasphemies against the Son of God publick Idolat●y c. Certainly the godly Magistrate by no meanes can or ought to con●ive at these evils although the whole world should fall on his head Bucan lee com 49. quest 33. An Magistratus debet coger● quenquam ad credendum Resp. Non potest indore fidem aut cogere mentem sed cogere locomotivam ut audiat veram doctrinam media quibus exitatur fides promovere debet c. Quest Whether the Magistrate ought to compell any man to believe Answ. He cannot put faith into any nor constraine the minde but he can force the loco-motive faculty that a man may he●r true Doctrine and he ought to promote all meanes by which Faith is excited and stirred up Alsted cas. conscient cap. 17. cas. 8. Princeps tutâ conscientiâ potest in ditione sua permittere liberam religionem non quidem it a ut ampune quisque colat Deum arbitratis suo sed ut bonum autonomiae sive libertas conscientiae concedatur iis qui in fundamento salutis conveniunt non nisi circa ritus leviores quasdam questiones in negotio religionis dissident Sane si potest h●c efficere citra pacis publicae perturbationem ut omnes singuli subditi eandem religionis formulam amplexentur utique nihildebet facere reliquum ad summam diligentiam hoc ut obtineat verum quia saepenum eroquè unitatem religionis in rempub introducere conantur funditus evertune rempublicam unitatem civilem scindunt non temere princeps hic quicquam audebit A Prince may with a safe conscience permit Religion to be free in his Dominion not so indeed that every man without punishment may worship God according to his pleasure but that the benefit of Autonomy or liberty of Conscience or a Self-law may be granted unto them which agree in the foundation of Salvation and differ not in the businesse of Religion but about some rites and certaine lighter questions certainly if he could effect it conveniently without the disturbance of the publick Peace that all and every one of his Subjects should embrace the same form of Religion truly he ought to leave nothing unaslayed unto his utmost diligence that he might obtain it But because often-times they that endeavour to bring into the Common-wealth the unity of Religion do utterly overthrow the civil Unity A Prince will not rashly dare to atttempt any thing in this matter But B●za is more strict in this matter whose words in his Book de puniendis haereticis are thes pag. 143. Magistratûs officium est vel externae pacis jactu●â si aliter non potest verum Dei cultum in suâ ditione redimere It is the duty of the Magistrate if it cannot otherwise be done to purchase in his D●m●nion the true worship of God even with the losse of outward peace Wolfangus Capito in a Book written by him de jure magistratûs in religione hath these words as they are cited by Beza in his Treatise de Haereticis à Magistratu puniendis p. 149. Pius princeps populum pro virili ad verbum Dei audiendum ad hoc ut vitâ moribus illud exprimat adiget severâ authoritate hoc est anim adversione legitimâ A godly Prince will according to his power enforce his people to hear the Word of God and to this also that they expresse the same in life and manners with severe authority that is by lawfull punishment Mr. Perkins in his Treatise of Callings Tom. 1. operum pag. 741. writeth thus That the duty of Magistrates wherein they do commonly faile is this that they use not the Sword for this end to urge men to the keeping of the Commandements of the first Table to a practise of pure Religion and to the keeping of the Sabbath day This is the duty of the Magistrate who b●ares the sword especially for the good of men● soules See also Dr. Cudworth's Commentary upon Gal. cap. 6. printed with Mr. Perkins Comment on the five first chapters of that Epistle as a Supplement to it where upon the 12 vers● of that 6 chapter this question is propounded and answered Magistratus legum severitate retine●it populum in ordine qu●ad auditum verbi orationis communicationem sacrificium laudi● Sacram●ntorum celebration●m incunctanter ac religi●●● frequentet vigore legum virgâ disciplin● animadvertet in mores subdit●rum ●mnium co●●c●bitq●e non solum adulteria scortationes ●brietat●m furta quod Ethnici Magistratus faciunt sed impi●tat●m blasphemiam h●reses sacrilegiae Ecclesia contemptum ac desertionem Mu●culus loc. com de Migistratu pag.